The Seattle Seahawks made their first trade of the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday, doing business with the Tennessee Titans in the second round to move up 15 picks.
Seattle sent picks Nos. 52 and 82 to the Titans for the No. 35 overall pick, which they used to select athletic South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. The Seahawks clearly didn't expect Emmanwori — ESPN's top-ranked safety and 25th-ranked overall player — to be on the board when their next selection (No. 50) finally rolled around. General manager John Schneider made the upward move to secure a player who could be a long-term starter in the defensive backfield.
In terms of the draft capital itself, however, Tennessee won the trade, at least according to Over The Cap's Fitzgerald-Spielberger Evaluation trade calculator. The Titans benefit from acquiring a third-round pick when they didn't previously have one, while the Seahawks sacrifice one of their five selections in the first three rounds.
Seattle obviously saw more value in getting the player it wanted in Emmanwori. With an abundance of draft capital, the Seahawks felt it was worth it even if they're giving up a little value in the trade. It could also come down to how many players Seattle had a third-round grade on that it expected to be able to select. Those grades and their selections might not have lined up.
None of it matters if Emmanwori turns out to be a quality player, and Seattle drafts well through the remainder of the second round and rest of the draft. Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald won't be sweating the lone selection at that point.
The No. 52 overall pick the Seahawks sent to the Titans was acquired in the DK Metcalf trade, so it was a luxury pick anyways. Ironically, they used it on a player who is a Metcalf-like player on the defensive side of the ball.
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